Lawn growth is now perceptible, though not ready to cut

All Nature seems at work. Slugs leave their lair —

The bees are stirring — birds are on the wing —

And Winter slumbering in the open air,

Wears on his smiling face a dream of Spring!

— Samuel Taylor Coleridge

In the sky

The moon: The Snowdrop and Aconite Moon wanes throughout the period, and entered its last quarter on March 14 and reached perigee, its powerful position closest to Earth, on March 19. It then became the new Daffodil Moon at 1:26 p.m. on March 21. Rising before dawn and setting in the evening, this moon passes overhead in the afternoon.

The sun: Equinox occured on March 20 at 5:24 p.m. The sun enters the middle spring sign of Aries at the same time.

The planets: Mars remains in Taurus, well into the western sky before dawn. Saturn shines in Aquarius, but it is difficult to view near sundown in the southwest.

The stars: At midnight, the Big Dipper is overhead, Orion sets in the west and Libra (along with Jupiter) rises in the east.

Weather trends

From today through the end of the month, the second major March storm period increases the threat of tornadoes in the south and surprise blizzards in the north.

The natural calendar

This is often the week north of the Ohio River that the first mosquito bites and that the box elders and silver maples come into bloom.

Foliage of lupine, phlox, columbine, coneflower, yarrow, sage, sweet pea, mallow, wild parsnip, goldenrod, snow-on-the mountain, New England aster, Queen Anne’s lace, pyrethrum, bleeding heart, lamb’s quarters and evening primrose is coming up across the land.

The mass flowering of violets and dandelions now occurs in the South and will arrive in the Lower Midwest in three or four weeks. Water striders breed in the ponds and rivers. Mock orange leafs out beside the new honeysuckle foliage. In the wetlands, ragwort starts to bud when weeping willows glow yellow-green. In the woods, toad trillium pushes up through the leaves.

Flickers and purple martins migrate. Turkeys start to gobble in preparation for mating time, and the predawn morning robin chorus has usually begun well up into the northern states.

Field and garden

With March 17 being St. Patrick’s Day, it’s a traditional time to plant peas and potatoes. This week’s dark moon offers some of the very best lunar seed starting of the entire year for those vegetables and for almost everything you care to plant.

Nine weeks remain until tender vegetables can be set out. Lawn growth is now perceptible — three weeks before grass is ready to cut. Horseradish, dock and dandelion roots are ready for digging.

Chickens will soon be laying more eggs. Check your flock for mites, and clean and disinfect the henhouse as spring turns to summer. And fertilize your pastures several weeks before you let your livestock graze. Keep an eye out for bloat, however, as you let your kids, calves and lambs enjoy the new greenery.

Fish continue to become more active as the weather warms. Learn their habits with the moon overhead in the middle of the day, especially as the March 14 and 19 weather systems approach.

Mind and body

Seasonal transitions that occur during March and April are often associated with new beginnings. Many studies suggest that these are good months to schedule a little time alone for yourself to review your life and projects.

Since the “winter blues” typically lighten up for many people as the sun approaches equinox, this is an especially favorable time to plan what you will do with the greater energy levels you might expect for the next six to eight weeks.

On the other hand, if you have had a serious or chronic illness through the winter, be especially good to yourself as spring arrives. Although it is traditional to associate April with love and flowers, the fact is that next month brings a radical shift in the appearance and feel of the world — and change can bring stress, which can complicate physical and mental conditions.

Countdown to spring

Just a few days to daffodil season and silver maple blooming season and the first golden goldfinches.

One week to tulip season and the first wave of blooming woodland wildflowers and the first butterflies

Two weeks until golden forsythia blooms and skunk cabbage sends out its first leaves and the lawn is long enough to cut

Three weeks until American toads sing their mating songs in the dark and corn planting time begins

Four weeks until the Great Dandelion and Violet Bloom and the peak of wildflower season begin

Five weeks until all the fruit trees flower

Six weeks to the first rhubarb pie

Seven weeks to the great warbler migration through the Lower Midwest

Eight weeks to the first cricket song of late spring

Nine weeks until the first orange daylilies blossom

10 weeks until the high canopy begins to shade the garden